How to Toastmaster the RDG Way

5. Special Meeting Ideas

The following is a crib sheet of ideas for a special meeting day to be held once a month. The Toastmaster is (usually) responsible for selecting one of these and implementing it. 

1. Contest meeting
   
2. Banquets
   
3. Costume party / wear something special day 
   
4. All table topics 
   
5. Random roles day 
   
6. Evaluations first (this was suggested at training) 
   
7. Speech building day (break out into groups to get ideas flowing for speeches, or coaching sessions)
   
8. Spontaneous story day (the beginnings of a story are laid down in the space of 2 minutes, and members are chosen at random to continue the story in 1-3 minute increments in rapid-fire order) 
   
9. Meet at the Commons (might be intimidating to newer members, so we should be mindful of that) 
   
10. Meet outside (on a nice day, of course!) 
    
11. Meet for lunch 
    
12. All evaluations day (with a test speech) 
    
13. All evaluations day (evaluate a famous speech of your choice) 
    
14. Solve the mystery (something like this was featured in TM magazine) 
    
15. Extended speeches day (for advanced manual people) 
    
16. Live pausing evaluations day (advanced speaker does a speech where an evaluator will call 'pause' and offer commentary on the spot) 
    
17. Reversed order day (evaluations are given first, then table topics, then speeches -- another thing from officer training) 
    
18. Shakespeare day (everyone does their best Olde English impersonation) 
    
19. Member on trial day
    
20. Potluck table topics: Have everyone write up to three questions to pass to the TTM, who picks one out of a hat to ask.
    
21. News Station TM: Organize the meeting as a newscast, complete with filming. The TM is an anchor, the speakers are correspondents, TT respondents are "the man or woman on the street" etc.
    
22. Roast the officers day
    
23. Courtroom day 
    
24. Debate day 
    
25. Book/Movie/Media Report day (yet again from #22) 
    
26. Seminar day (similar to #15, but focused on a TM related topic) - this could include having an outside speaker come in to talk
    
27. Political election day (some stump speeches, mini-debate, Q&A) - could be based on some ridiculous non-issues like "cookie choice"
    
28. Poster presentation day (either bring in real posters that people give 2-3 minute presentations on the topic, or 1-3 PowerPoint slides to the same effect. Presentations would be in rapid-fire order, or if we could get a large space like the Commons, assign 2 people per poster to talk about a particular aspect of Toastmasters) 
    
29. Interview day: A chief interviewer for a made up company picks three people to interview (people submit mock resumes and cover letters which the interviewer would choose from), asking them 3-5 questions. 
    
30. Mystery surprise day: Envelopes are taped to the bottom of some chairs, with a few having gift cards.
    
31. White elephant day: For the holidays; participants bring in a small, $10 or less gift in wrapping, and after an initial exchange, turns are taken where they may elect to try to persuade others in the room to exchange with them. (another idea from either #19 or #22)
    
32. Club birthday